THE DIET IS WORKING

Ten days into my new diet plan, I must say that it is working: four pounds have magically disappeared from my weighing scales, leaving me feeling a lot less miserable with the number on the screen. Dieting without results is one of the most disappointing things you can experience– and yes, while I am aware that eating better has additional positive benefits and that I should be satisfied with the fact that I’m doing my hair and skin a world of good (not to mention things like my liver and bones), the truth is… I’m not.

Like many people, I have a number in my head above which I feel unhappy with my body. Everybody’s number is different, and everybody’s body is different– I’m a size 8-10 (UK; US 4-6) and I know that there are many people who would need to weigh substantially less into fit the clothes I do. Equally, there are many people who weigh far more than I do, but still give the same overall appearance as me owing to increased muscle or simply being taller.

So, while I don’t believe in setting an arbitrary number for yourself based on someone else’s body, I know broadly what I tend to look like at certain weight intervals, and how happy I am with that. My recent dieting has brought me back down under my “No-no” weight, and I’m now slowly edging towards my “I can live with it, but I could do better” weight. My goal is to get back to my “I like this” weight by the end of the summer. I’ll confess that I have cheated (ice cream, all the ice cream) a little over the last couple of days, but overall I’ve eaten very little, so I can’t keep up this pace indefinitely. I wouldn’t want to, either: that’s too much weight for me to feel comfortable losing (or maintaining) over that short a period of time. However, I have about sixty days to lose a further 8-10 pounds– and if I can manage that, I’ll be very happy. I’ll keep you guys updated on how I’m getting on!

Are you doing a summer diet? Do you have any dietary tips and tricks you’d like to share? Do you own up when you’ve cheated? Drop me a line and let me know!
-A-